 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Supersonic Software |
| Publisher: | Majesco Entertainment | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Everyone | |
| # Of Players: | 1-3 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Nunchuk | |
| Buy Now: |   |
The exploration genre is still a pretty niche one overall, with only a few titles like Endless Ocean and Sony’s upcoming Afrika letting players stretch their virtual legs and explore the wilds at their own pace. Wild Earth: African Safari from Super X Studios is another such title and perhaps the least-known as well. Unfortunately, it does little to make a name for itself.
The actual gameplay mechanics are pretty solid. The player is tasked with capturing candid shots of Africa’s wildlife, with two guides giving the orders on each objective the player needs to take pictures of. At any one time several different objectives are generally available, ranging from things like grabbing pictures of posturing elephants to a pack of running zebras or even elephant dung. Some of these objectives are extremely easy to obtain, while others are available for only a few moments or must be stumbled upon in the game’s vast environments.
To take pictures, the player simply points the Wii Remote in the direction of the target and then uses the A button to take the picture. The camera can be zoomed in and out using either the C + Z buttons, or the + and – buttons, while the Nunchuk controls player movement. Unfortunately camera movement is just a little loose, and there’s no option to adjust its sensitivity, but on the whole this works as well as intended. The only way to fail a mission is to get too close (for too long) to the local wildlife, disturbing them and depleting the Impact meter until it empties. So while the animals won’t actually hurt you, this does force players to pay attention and respect the animals’ space.
Unfortunately, the environments themselves seem artificial thanks to the extensive use of tunnel-like areas (ex: an out of place canyon linking two areas together) to minimize framerate and loading issues, and invisible walls that cause an environment to suddenly end where it would appear the player can initially walk. The walls in particular are somewhat annoying, especially given the slow walking pace while trekking to those suddenly-impassable areas.
Then there are the graphics. Unfortunately, those hoping to experience the splendor of Africa will find a blurry and unappealing mess here. Animal models are done well enough and look good enough, but when they start moving their animations are mostly jerky and unrealistic. The environments are themselves pretty empty, partially due to the nature of the African plains. What’s there though doesn’t look all that great, with angular rocks and trees covered in low-res and blurry textures. Worse still, even without any real graphic splendor, the draw distance is still very poor, to the point where you’ll see grass and even large objects pop in and out of view close to the player’s actual location. And, the framerate is still inconsistent and jerky in spots.
The voice acting for the player’s two guides is actually really well done, with a male and a female guide providing very descriptive overviews of the local wildlife, trading jokes with each other, and generally spelling out each objective clearly. The audio in general is a high point, with some good environmental sounds and various animal grunts adding to the atmosphere.
Bottom Line:
Wild Earth: African Safari is still a somewhat fun and relaxing expedition despite its problems, but unfortunately becomes too bogged down in questionable level design and horrible graphics to come recommended for most gamers. However, at a budget price this is still worth a rental for players that enjoyed other similar exploration games like Endless Ocean, and it’s a solid option for parents wanting to teach younger children about the wonders that exist in Africa.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 5.5 |
Posted: 2008-07-22 18:15:20 PST